Barry Makarewicz is a twenty year veteran of Salt Lake City Fire Department, sixteen of those years as a paramedic. Triumph, Tragedy and Tedium chapters are honest, compassionate and sensitive with compelling detail and special insight as Barry lives in the district he serves. Medical or fire calls can be for neighbors, friends or family. If you want to know what it is like to be a paramedic/firefighter, or if you want to know what happens when the emergency response system is activated, this book of true stories is a must read. Triumph, Tragedy and Tedium explores a variety of emergency calls from dramatic major medical traumas to the mundane minor assistance needed for the frail and infirm; from humor to despair and everything in between. Barry's stories are captured in teamwork with his personal journalist and wife, Laura Howat.

"Makarewicz & Howat masterfully recount the stories of a paramedic/firefighter in Triumph, Tragedy and Tedium. The book is a wonderful journey through the highs and lows of a paramedic/firefighter's life and I recommend it to anyone with a curiosity about emergency services."
Eric R Swanson, MD, FACEP; Associate Professor, Division of Emergency Medicine, The University of Utah; Medical Director, University of Utah AirMed; Editor, Air Medical Journal

"Makarewicz and Howat have written a remarkable book. It captures the full range of emotions and experiences of a modern urban paramedic; the humor, the satisfaction, the tragedy, the frustration and even the anger at times. . . .In these stories, readers will find themselves drawn into the lives of the paramedic/firefighters and the people they meet and they can come away with a deep appreciation for these people and for the life saving and life giving work that they do."
Dan Andrus, Deputy Chief, Salt Lake City Fire Department (Retired)

"Triumph, Tragedy and Tedium provides vivid insight into the challenges that paramedic/firefighters face when life saving seconds are ticking away. . . I recommend this book to anyone that takes emergency medical services for granted."
Randy Anderson, Interagency Hotshot Crew Superintendent; BLM